Dad has always been into building model steam trains and used to drag us all to model exhibitions when we were kids. I always ended up watching the RC cars and got given a few cheap “toy” RC cars. When I was 11 I got him to buy me a set of futaba radio gear for my birthday in May and then he agreed he would pay half the cost of a kit. Tamiya released the Holiday Buggy which went for about £40 so I spent the next few months saving every penny to save up my £20 (think I used to get about a £1 a week pocket money) and got the kit in about Sept. Then had to wait until Christmas to get the battery and charger!! That Christmas day I trashed the flower borders in my mum’s garden and flatten my dad’s full size car battery. Then started looking for a club to run at. Found what was then called Porchester Rough Riders in Hampshire which is now the TORCH club.
That was about 32 years ago and apart from the traditional few years off for beer and women, have raced various classes over that time. In some ways I’ve been lucky – never been that fast so can never be called a has-been!!
Rob
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